


Through the Years

by blueglitters (orionstarlight)



Series: Late Night Drabbles [11]
Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Anxiety, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29898207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orionstarlight/pseuds/blueglitters
Summary: kaoru stops by the next day as well, but kojirō is expecting it by now because sia la luce clearly is a second home to him now, and there are two glasses of wine waiting.Cherry always comes by. Joe is always waiting.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Series: Late Night Drabbles [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032969
Kudos: 41





	Through the Years

* * *

kaoru stops by the next day as well, but kojirō is expecting it by now because sia la luce clearly is a second home to him now, and there are two glasses of wine waiting while he's in the back room, sorting out supplies.

he hears the bell go off and the soft electronic whirring, and he smiles to himself before opening the door ever so slightly to look at kaoru's confusion at the glasses.

"kojirō, am i that predictable?" he grins, heading towards the bar to pick up his own wine, sitting down next to kaoru.

"well, that's what happens when you know someone for over ten years."

kaoru scoffs. trust him to bring up how long they've known each other again, how they've been with each other through the years. he always does, without fail.

he looks down into his glass. "i should be walking soon. my first appointment is next week, though i think--"

"--though you think it should be sooner, yeah, yeah," waves off kojirō. "you always want things done your way. whether you're a doctor or not."

"bold of you to assume i couldn't have been a doctor if i'd gone to medical school."

"no, you couldn't have. liking coffee too much for you own good doesn't make up for you fainting at the sight of blood."

kaoru glares at him with something akin to betrayal. "i do _not_ faint at the sight of blood."

"i was there every time you got pierced, idiot. i remember how you held my hand. nearly broke my bones," laughs kojirō, muffled by his drink.

he did, of course, grow out of that phase, but kojirō remembers all too well how kaoru's breath would pick up when the needle went through despite his so-called 'toughness'.

still, the sight of kaoru in a white lab coat, peering down at test results over his silver-framed glasses wouldn't be the _worst_ thing in the world.

kaoru's saying something to him, but he isn't listening to his words. he's looking at the plaster that's coming off the base of his chin.

he reaches for it before he can be stopped, peeling it off gently so he doesn't tug on his skin. it's scabbed over nicely, so there's no point of it being there, but then kaoru's always been bad at taking care of himself properly. he folds it up, slides it away.

"i can do things like that myself. i don't need you checking on my injuries," he says, but there's no malice in it.

"you wouldn't be here otherwise." he tucks some of kaoru's long hair behind his ears so he can see his face better. "you always refuse to acknowledge you're hurt."

"i don't have time to be hurt. i have a job, a life, a--"

"you also have friends who don't want to see you _dead_ , kaoru." his voice is a harsh whisper. "you can't just expect us not to care."

"name one other person apart from you that tells me to look after myself."

kojirō could probably name a few, but none of those names would ever compare to what he feels. kaoru doesn't need to hear meaningless names.

his hands are rough, but he still strokes his cheek to wipe away the tears. he smiles, a poor attempt to reassure him.

"can i not be the only one who does? can i not be the only person who gets to see you like this? who _knows_ you like this?"

his voice cracks somewhere in the middle of his questions, and his attempt to reassure him only makes the tears fall faster.

kaoru shakes his head, smiles sadly at the floor. "who else is ever going to take up the challenge?"

kojirō's hand lifts his head up by his chin. "loving you is not a challenge. how many times am i gonna have to tell you?"

kissing his tears away isn't anything new. he's done it hundreds of times before, and they always taste the same, taste like the salt of the sea.

but kissing kaoru is one of things that calms them both down. it reminds them to stay grounded, on earth and in each other.

and kaoru might fly a little too high sometimes. kojirō might run a little too fast sometimes. 

but here, in evening spent in sia la luce, in the warm yellow lights and thousands of lingering smells, time stands still, even for just a moment.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> [my ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/erissapphic)


End file.
